Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-05-19
AN EARTHLY PARADISE.
A Graphic Descrip lon Of Sou,hern
California by an old Mexico Boy
Who Lives There.

Correspondence of the Ledger.
Los ANGELES, CAL, May 1.-The
city of Los Angeles-the Angels-is
situated about 400 miles south of
San Francisco, is q small village of
adobe houses and tub huts, and with
in the period of 5 years, swelled TO a
city of nearly sixty-fve thousand in
habitants. Within five years more
we expect to have 100000 and more.
The fertility of its soil within its
immediate vicinity is hardly parallel
ed by any other section in the world.
The orange groves and vineyards of
Los Angeles have won worldwide
reputation. Anything that will grow
on earth can be produced here, and
many things grow increasingly all the
year round. Tropical fruits are
produced in abundance, and the eli
mate is surely one Of the finest in the
world. The heat is seldom excessive
and the winters "joy forever;"
there are no fires to build fruits,
vegetables and flowers all the year.
$50 beautiful sunshlny days out Of
possible 365. Why shouldn't i
be happy? 1t seldom or never rains
from April to October. so malarial
poison is hardly known here, and
people have ample time to take care
of the products Of the country.
Lightning is hardly ever seen and
storms are unknown.
The people are contented, wealthy
and happy.
The principal products are corn,
barley. potatoes, wheat, rye, oats,
beans, hops, alfslfa--just think of
from seven to eight crops of alfalfa a
year. All kind of vegetables thrive
here to remarkable degree; its
bacon and dairy products are equal
to the best iu the world. OF its
fruits, orange, lemon, lime, pear,
peach, plum, fig, olive, nuts and ber-
ries usually found in temperate zones
grow luxuriantly and yield largely.
Sheep, cattle and horses enter large
ly into the farm husbandry of Los
Angeles country. The bee product
is also very important Petroleum,
lead, iron, copper, tin, gold, silver,
lime, granite, gypsum, asphaltum,
coal, borax and salt abound in this
and neighboring counties. The sup.
ply of petroleum in Los Angeles and
adjacent counties covers al
area of over 200, 900 acres, and bic
fair to yield as largely as the oil well
OF Pennsylvania in few years. Th'
product already being valued at owe
one million dollars per annum.
| Some of the finest vineyards ant
wineries in the world are located in
this county, and the owners would
laugh if you should offer them q
thousand dollars an acre for theii
ground 1t yields them much NOR,
than IL per cent. interest on that
amount. At the same time this j:
the best poor mans country in the
world.
Its railroad connection is equal IL
San Francisco. Three transconti
mental lines have their termini here,
and some five short lines reaching
out from Los Angeles We haze
steamship connection with the whole
coast.
Five cable cars are in operation
and three electric motors are being
built horse cars extend in every di.
reciion.
Living is no more expensive IL
Los Angeles than in Mexico, Mo. A
change of climate can be had here il
SIX hours by anyone and at any time
SO the health and wishes Of almost
anyone can be accommodated in this
conutry. Los Angeles is not as gen
orally supposed, mushroom city
springipg into being like a bubble
and probably as suddenly to disap
pear; on the contrary, Los Angeles il
the city of homes, she stands perman
lent in the far west as a metropolis
Her manifold natural advantages to
gether with increasing streams ot
visitors pouring in daily from al
parts of the world, make retrogres
sion impossible, and a steady growth
certain. Nothing but starvation
would cause me to leave Southern
California.
DIR. Baker, formerly of your city
has charge of the county hospital
here, and said lie would not return tc
Missouri to live il you would giy'
him one of your best counties.
l.. A. McCosSELL.